This week there's a story in The Economist about the 13-week-old strike in Greece by university administrators. The government, which is broke, is trying to reduce the administrator head-count.
Of course, the Greek government is doing it in a sneaky way, but what else is new.
But the strike makes the point. Workers at government universities are not in the business of delivering services to consumers. They are in the business of getting their paychecks.
Nor are the students are in the business of paying for an education. They are trying to game the system to get a cheap degree.
Of course, everything the government does has this flavor. But usually, the government gets to blame someone else. You know the drill. If there's a financial crisis it's all because of greedy bankers. If gas prices are soaring it's all because of price-gouging oil companies. If you can't get the health care you want, it's all because of insurance company profits.
But nine times out of ten, it's not the greedy bankers or the oil companies or the insurance companies. No it's not the greedy corporations. Financial crisis? Probably due to government cheap credit. Soaring oil prices? Probably due to government restricting oil production. Health insurance going up with bigger deductibles and exclusions? Probably due to government micro-management of health care.
In other words, the government did it.
Of course, mixed in with all this is that corporations vigorously lobby for subsidies, carve-outs and exemptions from the politicians. In exchange for political contributions. So maybe they deserve to get the blame.
With Obamacare the government is trying to set up the insurance companies to take the blame. But it's looking like the Obamis may not make the sale. That's probably because Obama and the Pelosis thought that Obamacare was going to be a glorious success and that the uninsured would be crying hosannas as they signed up for their subsidized care. So they started out grabbing all the credit for themselves, right up until the whole thing collapsed.
So, as of right now, the American people seem to be clued into the idea that the problem is Obamacare, not the evil insurance companies.
But the Greek experience gives us a hint of what is coming as the various US governments run out of money. The government workers will go on strike. The disappointed beneficiaries will take to the streets.
So the prudent man and woman will be planning for this. They will be figuring that Social Security won't be much of a deal. That Medicare will dissolve into unworkable regulations and price controls. That government education will get worse and worse. That welfare will fail more and more.
What should the prudent man do? Well, he should do what any 19th century man would do. He would figure that he'd have to pay for everything himself, from saving for retirement, health care, and hard times, to shelling out for his kids' education. Yes, and he'll even figure that it's up to him to attend to the relief of the poor.
Many people will rail against the scapegoats offered up by the media, the politicians, and the activists. But they will be fools.
Because government is just like an army. It marches its troops around and fills them with propaganda. But in the end it leaves them, dying, by the side of the road.
That's why the prudent thing to do is to ignore the government's propaganda.
Chances are, when something goes wrong, the government did it.
And, in the liberals'
Of course, the Greek government is doing it in a sneaky way, but what else is new.
But the strike makes the point. Workers at government universities are not in the business of delivering services to consumers. They are in the business of getting their paychecks.
Nor are the students are in the business of paying for an education. They are trying to game the system to get a cheap degree.
Of course, everything the government does has this flavor. But usually, the government gets to blame someone else. You know the drill. If there's a financial crisis it's all because of greedy bankers. If gas prices are soaring it's all because of price-gouging oil companies. If you can't get the health care you want, it's all because of insurance company profits.
But nine times out of ten, it's not the greedy bankers or the oil companies or the insurance companies. No it's not the greedy corporations. Financial crisis? Probably due to government cheap credit. Soaring oil prices? Probably due to government restricting oil production. Health insurance going up with bigger deductibles and exclusions? Probably due to government micro-management of health care.
In other words, the government did it.
Of course, mixed in with all this is that corporations vigorously lobby for subsidies, carve-outs and exemptions from the politicians. In exchange for political contributions. So maybe they deserve to get the blame.
With Obamacare the government is trying to set up the insurance companies to take the blame. But it's looking like the Obamis may not make the sale. That's probably because Obama and the Pelosis thought that Obamacare was going to be a glorious success and that the uninsured would be crying hosannas as they signed up for their subsidized care. So they started out grabbing all the credit for themselves, right up until the whole thing collapsed.
So, as of right now, the American people seem to be clued into the idea that the problem is Obamacare, not the evil insurance companies.
But the Greek experience gives us a hint of what is coming as the various US governments run out of money. The government workers will go on strike. The disappointed beneficiaries will take to the streets.
So the prudent man and woman will be planning for this. They will be figuring that Social Security won't be much of a deal. That Medicare will dissolve into unworkable regulations and price controls. That government education will get worse and worse. That welfare will fail more and more.
What should the prudent man do? Well, he should do what any 19th century man would do. He would figure that he'd have to pay for everything himself, from saving for retirement, health care, and hard times, to shelling out for his kids' education. Yes, and he'll even figure that it's up to him to attend to the relief of the poor.
Many people will rail against the scapegoats offered up by the media, the politicians, and the activists. But they will be fools.
Because government is just like an army. It marches its troops around and fills them with propaganda. But in the end it leaves them, dying, by the side of the road.
That's why the prudent thing to do is to ignore the government's propaganda.
Chances are, when something goes wrong, the government did it.
And, in the liberals'
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